"Ah... I'm back..."
I looked around as I opened my eyes. I was inside the familiar dungeon. It seemed the reset point for Return by Death remained unchanged.
"Still, that was a nightmare."
To think they would seal me instead of killing me. It was true—a seal successfully bypassed Return by Death.
"Wait... do those guys actually know about Return by Death?"
The suspicion gnawed at me. Holy Knight Kanaria and Warrior Golgano—both were members of the mysterious organization known as Chaosism. I didn't know their ultimate goal, but if they were aware of my ability to loop, things were about to get incredibly complicated.
Another seal would likely shatter my mind for good. I refused to go through that sensory deprivation again. However, it wasn't as if I was entirely without options.
"If I’m on the verge of being sealed, I just have to kill myself first."
As long as I committed suicide, I could force a reset. I didn't know the exact procedure for their sealing ritual, but ending my own life would surely be faster. So, I didn't need to rack my brains over the seal itself.
Now, my priority was still preventing the Demon King’s resurrection. Having been sealed for so long, it was taking me a moment to get my bearings. My enemies were Holy Knight Kanaria and Warrior Golgano. Of course, there could be others lurking in the shadows. Noc, that man in the hood, looked suspicious as hell.
To stop the Demon King, I would have to go through those two. Could I really do it?
In the previous timeline, I hadn't been able to lay a finger on Warrior Golgano and his Parasitic Scythe: Kyogenmawashi. No matter how many times I ran the scenario in my head, I couldn't see a path to victory. I was anxious, but that was no reason to stop. I had to keep moving forward.
◆
Intending to fight Holy Knight Kanaria once more, I retraced the steps of the previous timeline. I chose <Agility Enhancement> as my acquired skill, then synthesized it to become a <Thief>. After that, I guided the Hero to the Demon King’s chamber and headed toward the area where I knew the traitorous knight would be waiting.
"Yo. I had a feeling you'd be coming here."
Usually, Holy Knight Kanaria was the only one here.
"W-Why...?"
Why the hell was Warrior Golgano here too?
"It seems he really did show up."
"Kanaria, were you doubting my word?"
"Couldn't be helped. To think such a mediocre-looking brat would be our enemy is beyond surprising."
Warrior Golgano stood alongside Holy Knight Kanaria. I couldn't wrap my head around the situation. In this timeline, I hadn't even attacked them yet. So why were they already treating me as an enemy?
Everything was supposed to reset when I died. So why had their behavior changed?
"This guy... he definitely reeks!"
"He smells dangerous!"
"Watch out, Master!"
A cacophony of high-pitched voices echoed through the room. It took me several seconds to realize the voices were coming from the Parasitic Scythe: Kyogenmawashi in Golgano’s grip.
"You look confused," Warrior Golgano remarked, watching my face. "These guys warned me, see? Told me to keep an eye out for you, brat."
Did that mean Kyogenmawashi had told Golgano about our battle in the previous timeline? Was it possible that the scythe possessed the power to perceive other timelines?
I asked myself if such an absurdity was possible, and then a memory flashed in my mind. The Parasitic Sword: Kugutsumawashi had also behaved strangely before. In a timeline where we should have been meeting for the first time, it had once mused, "Hmm, I wonder why? I feel like I've met you somewhere before."
If the sword could feel it, then it wasn't a stretch to think the scythe could fully grasp events from other timelines. The conclusion sent a chill down my spine. The enemies I was facing were far more dangerous than I had ever imagined.
"What's wrong? Did we scare you?" Golgano mocked as I stood there, dazed.
"Golgano, there's no need to wait for him to move, is there? Let’s just kill him and be done with it."
"Wait, no killing. There's a possibility he's a Hero's Apostle."
"What?"
The two began discussing my fate as if I weren't even there. I couldn't let them seal me again.
"Dammit all!!"
Driven by a frantic need to strike before they reached a conclusion, I screamed and charged, sword in hand.
"You're not much of a threat, are you?"
"Ah...?"
Before I could blink, Warrior Golgano was standing behind me. How...?
In the same instant the thought crossed my mind, blood sprayed from my entire body. Within a fraction of a second, Golgano had used his scythe to shred me from head to toe.
This was bad... at this rate, I’d be incapacitated and sealed. I had to do it now!
My right arm was a mess of sliced flesh and useless, but just ahead of me lay the tip of my dropped <Greatsword of Raging Flames>. I threw myself forward, aiming my throat at the blade.
Crush!
The sound of the blade piercing my neck echoed in my ears. I had managed to die in time.
◆
"Ah... I made it back..."
As the realization that I’d successfully triggered Return by Death set in, I felt a wave of relief followed by a bone-deep exhaustion.
"I mean, it's impossible."
The thought was inescapable. I had been challenging Holy Knight Kanaria to stop the resurrection. He was strong, but I felt that if I pushed myself hard enough, I could eventually win. That hope had kept me going.
But the variables had changed. Now, I had to face Warrior Golgano. His strength was on an entirely different level—it was otherworldly. The secret to that power clearly lay with the Parasitic Scythe: Kyogenmawashi.
Holy Knight Kanaria possessed the Parasitic Sword: Kugutsumawashi, but he didn't seem to be utilizing its full potential. In fact, I felt I had a better handle on the sword's nature than he did. Warrior Golgano, however, was a master who could draw out the scythe’s power completely.
Could I ever hope to win against someone like that?
"No. It’s impossible."
I didn't feel like I could win no matter how many times I tried. The gap in our raw combat ability was simply too vast.
"I need to find another way..."
My goal wasn't necessarily to defeat them in a fair fight. It was to prevent the resurrection of the Demon King and stop the end of the world.
Think. There had to be another way. There had to be a method I hadn't tried yet.